The subject invention is directed to a closure cover made of plastic and specifically intended for closing a collet opening in a motor vehicle body. The cover generally comprises a bowl-shaped part with a bottom and a cylindrical casing-shaped wall whose exterior is equipped with contact surfaces.
A closure cover of this general type is already known in the art (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,935). The closure cover of this patent is designed in such manner that a circumferential stop ring serves as the contact element. Other known closure covers exhibit ring shoulder segments, individual holding claws, and slotted wall areas. (See, for example, German Patent No. 1,555,007; German Utility Model No. 69 33 117; French Patent No. 1,216,812; German Utility Model No. 19 59 426; German Printed Specification No. 15 25 790; U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,378; and, German Printed Publication No. 35 12 582 A1 of 16 Oct. 1986.)
It is the object of the invention to improve such known closure covers in a manner that they are specifically suitable for sealing a collet opening and so that they will afford, in addition to excellent sealing, a reliable fastening and a high degree of tolerance compensation.
The task is solved according to the subject invention by forming the contact elements as obliquely arranged wings that extend at least over part of the wall area at an acute angle relative to the radial lines of the cylindrical casing-shaped wall.
The obliquely arranged, flexible wings beneficially produce excellent holding of the closing lid within a collet opening. A portion of the wings position themselves at the inner circumference of the collet opening and a portion engage behind its exterior edge. Thus, there is afforded, aside from excellent sealing, secure holding and improved tolerance compensation.
In a further refinement of the invention, the wings can have a triangular shape with one side of the triangle as an interior end region connected with the exterior surface of the cylindrical casing-shaped wall. The opposing corner of the triangle forms the exterior end region. In such an arrangement, the exterior end region of a wing can lie in the same radial plane of the cylindrical casing-shaped wall as the inner end region of an adjacent wing so that the individual obliquely extending flexible wings have a somewhat overlapped relationship.
According to a further characteristic of the invention, the wings can have a tapered configuration such that an inner surface and an outer surface of each wing extend conically toward one another. In such an arrangement, the largest thickness distance between the inner and outer wing surfaces may be in the interior end region of the wing at the point where it joins to the cylindrical casing-shaped wall.
It is also possible that the inner and outer surfaces of the wings may be generally flat and parallel. Alternatively, the inner and outer surfaces may have a curved configuration such as concave and convex, respectively.
Moreover, the wings may be arranged over the entire exterior circumference of the cylindrical casing-shaped wall so as to extend obliquely in the same direction. Alternatively, it is possible that, as a variation, the wings may be arranged in pairs inclined toward one another or that various groups of adjacent wings may be inclined in the same direction but opposite that of the wings in an adjacent group.
It is also possible that the respective wings may be shaped in the form of a dish or shovel. Likewise, the possibility exists that the outer peripheral contour of each wing can be designed as a curved line with a relatively gradual, flat ascent and a steep conclusion portion with the steep conclusion portion facing the underside of the bottom to provide an improved sealing effect of the closure cover. Alternatively, the outer peripheral contour of each wing may be designed in the form of a "S".